In 2015-16, private health insurers paid $2.5 billion for dental services of the $4.7 billion they paid for all general treatment services. Insurers pay more benefits for dental services than any other type of general treatment, amounting to 52.5%, followed by optical at 17.2%. While consumers are aware of gaps between dental charges and the amount paid by their health insurer, there is little information available about average dental charges.

Guide to Dental Services Reported

Table 1 contains a list of 21 common dental services by the Australian Dental Association (ADA) code and the average charge within each state/territory based on consumers place of residence. It is important to note that charges within each state/territory will vary depending on location. (eg. major city, inner regional or remote).

This list of dental services may be expanded in the future, depending on data availability and consumer demands.

Origin of Data

De-identified data was provided by private health insurers to the Department of Health for the following dental services provided to privately insured patients in 2015, which was obtained as part of the claiming process.